Roars. Rants. Raves. Rambles. Rebel. Rock-N-Roll

About

Music journalist, writer, radio DJ, socio-political activist, creative industry leader, and a qualified librarian, Rudolf Dethu is heavily under the influence of the punk rock philosophy. Often tagged as this country’s version of Malcolm McLaren—or as Rolling Stone Indonesia put it ‘the grand master of music propaganda’—a name based on his successes when managing Bali’s two favourite bands, Superman Is Dead and Navicula, both who have become two of the nation’s biggest rock bands.

Tonite! The Nostarwhere Tapes!

Tonite! Wednesday, November 03, 2010; 8-10 PMR-n-R Exhibition [mini version]: STIRLING SILLIPHANTThe Nostarwhere Tapes:: Introduction, playlist and photos, written and handpicked by Stirling Himself :: What I originally intended as a curatorial focus on a very specific genre (early-to-mid-'90s American Underground) has morphed into a retrospective on the music I was listening to from 2001-2006, a time when I was the heart, soul and scrambled brains of the nostarwhere collective. We (I, most of the time) booked DIY gigs for bands from all over the region (with a heavy Singapore and KL emphasis, though we got some takers from Oz, the States and Japan) in Bangkok, where I also played in my own band, Eastbound Downers. Growing up between Asia and the States in the pre-web days, I had a lopsided exposure to music. I'd tend to binge in the former (on live shows, records, 'zines, books) and hibernate in the latter. Say what you will about social networking, but without it, there were few avenues for an international school brat like me to stay simultaneously informed about global and local underground scenes. A couple years after I moved back to Southeast Asia in '99, I started to make up for lost time: Once I got hip to the incredibly diverse, talented regional scene, I started inviting bands up to play in Asia's crossroads city, my home at the time, Bangkok. The friendships forged in the course of doing so last to this day (and will far beyond), but another fortunate knock-on effect was the amount of music I was exposed to. The amount of 'what... you haven't heard of so-and-so?!,' and, 'you're from California and you've never seen such and such??' was dizzying. Like a good student, I took notes, I read up on stuff... and sure, I downloaded a few tunes on p2ps---but mostly I kept buying records. What follows is a cross-section of jams (some completely new, others 'rediscovered') that I either got turned onto over those years. Jams that were blasted out over the PAs of the dive bars where we set up shows (all closed now; if they were naïve enough to hand the keys to us for even a night, there was an operative lack of business acumen), late, late night and through the morning at the 'Stirling's house after-party', or the follow-on afternoon, when the slowing music would tease my thoughts to ask if this was really what I wanted to be doing for the rest of my life. ♪ ♫ ♬ Radio streaming live http://army.wavestreamer.com:6356/listen.pls

Domestic Groove: MAYLAFFAYZA

DOMESTIC GROOVE ~ Celeb's Chosen Seven is my biweekly column in The Beat (Jakarta) mag. Basically it's an interview via e-mail which focuses on small, intimate, domestic stuff; what Indonesia's public figures are really into, musically speaking. For the fifth edition I went upclose-and-personal with Maylaffayza.

Rock-n-Roll Exhibition: RIDWAN RUDIANTO

Edition: June 09, 2010Rock-n-Roll Exhibition: RIDWAN RUDIANTOBeats & Pieces:: Playlist, intro, and song descriptions, written and handpicked by Ridwan Himself :: Sebagian besar lagu di play list ini saya ambil dari koleksi CD yang banyak dibeli antara tahun 1996-1999. Tidak banyak memori pribadi yang tersimpan, melainkan hanya rangkaian nada yang disusun baik untuk menciptakan mood yang khusus. Pengalaman sulitnya merangkai, saya menemukan ada beberapa lagu favorit yang ternyata tidak bisa dilepas dari albumnya untuk dimasukkan ke playlist ini. Mungkin di sana tangguhnya beberapa musisi menyusun tracklist album hingga kita tidak tega untuk mencomot setiap individual track-nya. Pemilihan lagu juga mempertimbangkan faktor jam tayang acara di malam hari, karena ternyata tidak semua musik cocok di dengar di kala langit gelap Demikian sudah, selamat malam, selamat menikmati.

Domestic Groove: BONDAN PRAKOSO

DOMESTIC GROOVE ~ Celeb's Chosen Seven is my biweekly column in The Beat (Jakarta) mag. Basically it's an interview via e-mail which focuses on small, intimate, domestic stuff; what Indonesia's public figures are really into, musically speaking. For the fourth edition I went upclose-and-personal with Bondan Prakoso.

Tonite! Chop-N-Roll!

Tonite! Wednesday, October 20, 2010; 8-10 PMUpcoming R-n-R Exhibition: VEROLANDChop-N-Roll: My On-The-Go Playlist:: Introduction and playlist, written and handpicked by Vero Himself :: Saya sangat kaget ketika membaca email dari Mr. Dethu kemarin yang mengingatkan saya harus mengirim list lagu-lagu pilihan saya dalam dua hari. Memang beliau sudah meminta saya dari beberapa bulan lalu, tapi somehow ada saja kerjaan yang mengganggu ketika saya mau mulai memilih lagu dari iPod model primitif saya. Berikut adalah playlist dari on-the-go-2 dalam iPod saya yang layarnya penuh guratan dan bercak oli; sering dipasang di workshop saya, biasa terdengar di antara bunyi batu gerinda yang beradu dengan pipa baja, tumbukan palu yang menghajar plat aluminum setebal 2mm (lebay...). Keras? Belum tentu, seperti halnya workshop saya yang kadang super berisik tapi kadang sunyi, pilihan musik saya tidak terpatok pada satu genre. Yang penting bagi saya, kadang bisa memompa semangat, tapi kadang juga menurunkan emosi ketika salah satu tukang las salah potong pipa. ♬ ♪ Radio streaming live http://army.wavestreamer.com:6356/listen.pls

Rockin’ Dreams Do Come True

For Indonesian version please click hereNot that long ago, local rock enthusiasts would only have dreamed of having an act like Smashing Pumpkins playing in Indonesia. To go to a Wolfmother gig in Jakarta, back then, you would never have thought possible. But these days, it is possible. And not just for the Pumpkins or Wolfmother, but also Muse, Korn, Avril Lavigne, 311, Placebo, Black Eyed Peas, Bjork, My Chemical Romance, NOFX, Belle & Sebastian, Stereophonics, Dashboard Confessional, too many more to mention, all of whom have played in big cities in Indonesia---mostly in Jakarta. Indeed, these last few years, showbiz has become a big and upcoming trend. More people seem interested in doing it seriously. Local promoters/event organizers don't really think twice anymore about bringing big name artists to Indonesia. The last gigantic music event, Java Rockin'Land, was so succesful---some said it attracted 50,0000 plus people. This fact brings even bigger hopes that showbiz has become stronger. It proves that showbiz in Indonesia is alive and kicking. Nowadays, music lovers have more and better options. Not only in Jakarta, but also in Bandung, Bali, and a few other areas in Java and Sumatera. Look at how dynamic the music scene is: October 24th sees Vampire Weekend at Bengkel Night Park and October 27th Hatebreed at Gelora Bung Karno (both in Jakarta), on November 10th Temper Trap will be in Bali's Hard Rock Cafe before heading to Jakarta and Tokyo Police Club and Raveonettes will both play in Bandung mid November. So, following all that, have you been dreaming about Iron Maiden coming to Indonesia? Quit dreaming. Bruce Dickinson and friends are coming to Jakarta and Bali in February of 2011. Get ready for the ticket race.

SKENARIO MASA VAKANSI

Retro Jakarta outfit WSATCC just released their their collection, ððð£ð¶ð® ðð¢ð¬ð¢ð¯ð´ðª.

Never Say Die, Jakarta Rock Parade

Tulisan---lebih tepatnya curhat---yang bermaksud menyemangati Jakarta Rock Parade ini sejatinya adalah materi lawas (tayang di Musikator pertama kali pada Juli 2009), walau pamali untuk dibilang usang. Memang, di kala itu belum ada konser rock lokal berskala gigantik. Belum ada yang nekat-berani mati menyelenggarakannya. Dan saya tidak rela jika Jakarta Rock Parade layu sebelum berkembang. Saya memimpikan Indonesia memiliki festival musik rock sekaliber Ozzfest. Syukurnya tidak lama berselang muncul kemudian Java Rockin'Land, yang bukan cuma bermutu tinggi, tapi juga termegah se-Asia Tenggara. Artinya spirit Jakarta Rock Parade menolak dimatikan. Yay. Ya, artikel ini sengaja tetap saya tampilkan di situs pribadi saya ini demi mendokumentasikan perspektif yang pernah saya tuangkan agar menjadi lebih rapi, tak lagi berceceran tak beraturan, bisa menjadi arsip yang sahih lagi sinambung.

Sampul Album Cadas Monumental: LOVEHUNTER

Setelah cabut dari Deep Purple, David Coverdale segera saja membentuk Whitesnake lalu berturut-turut merilis Snakebite serta Trouble di tahun yang sama, 1978. Namun dalam konteks sensasi---sanggup membelalakkan mata publik, to be precise---adalah karya mereka yang terbit pada 1979, Lovehunter.

NAVICULA – SALTO: PASSION IS THE RELIGION

Rilis pers dari album ke-6 Navicula, Salto, Juni 2009.

Disodomi Genderuwo

Berikut adalah sebuah tulisan menarik oleh Eric Sasono, seorang kritikus film, yang dimuat di majalah Tempo edisi Maret 2010 silam. Eric, yang juga redaktur www.rumahfilm.org, menelisik isu linguistik, tentang seberapa "tembak langsung" judul film ini: Diperkosa Setan. Memang, makin ke sini para penggiat film lokal tersimak makin berani. Tak hanya terang-terangan mengajakserta bintang film porno sebagai pemicu atensi---sudah pasti berujung riuh kontroversi---tapi juga blak-blakan di urusan memberi judul sinemanya. Eksotika bahasa, akrobat cantik demi menghasilkan titel yang bernas bahkan beradab bukan lagi menjadi prioritas. Komunikasi, antara pembikin dan penyuka film, cenderung satu arah, nihil basa-basi. Di perkara pemberian tajuk, yang lebih dikedepankan justru sisi sensasi. Jika di masa lalu masih mencoba berimprovisasi cukup sopan lalu menyorongkan sebatas Gairah Malam serta Ranjang Yang Ternoda, kini makin miskin estetika sama sekali. Coba perhatikan: Diperkosa Setan. Bukan mustahil dalam waktu dekat akan kian berani lagi, tiada tedeng aling-aling lagi, bombastis skala paling maksi: Disodomi Genderuwo.

Rock-n-Roll Exhibition: ARIBOWO SANGKOYO

Edition: March 17, 2010Rock-n-Roll Exhibition: ARIBOWO SANGKOYONyanyikanlah Hidup Kita!:: Playlist, intro, song descriptions, and (most) photos, written and handpicked by Ribosa Himself :: Saya bersaksi bahwa tiada hidup selain musik dan saya bersaksi bahwa lagu-lagu berikut adalah penyelamat kewarasan saya. Semoga kita dikembalikan ke distorsi yang 'benar' dan terbebas dari godaan pasar yang terkutuk. Amin.

The Upstairs: Resah Berdansa di Menaralara

・For Indonesian version please click hereAlmost a year after releasing their 3rd full-length album, Magnet! Magnet!, The Upstairs are back with their newest single and video, "Menaralara". Indra "Kubil" Idris (guitar) was the guy in charge for the video clip, while Jimi Multhazam (vocal) wrote the lyrics and Beni Adhiantoro (drums) took the position as producer. Yes, after quite a few musicians have come and gone, during their 9th year The Upstairs has officially became a trio with some additional players: Khrisna (keyboard) and Pandu Fathoni (bass, synth). Go visit YouTube now and witness---and dance to---"Menaralara"!

Superman Is Dead ~ Black Market Love

Rilis pers mengenai album ke-3 Superman Is Dead bersama Sony BMG Indonesia ini sejatinya adalah materi lama (tanggal rilis: April 2006), walau tak juga bisa dibilang sudah usang. Sengaja tetap saya tampilkan di situs pribadi saya ini demi mendokumentasikan perspektif yang pernah saya tuangkan agar menjadi lebih rapi, tak lagi berceceran tak beraturan, bisa menjadi arsip yang sahih lagi sinambung.

Countdown to Music Armageddon

*For Indonesian version please click hereAquarius Pondok Indah, one of the biggest record stores in Indonesia and located in the South of Jakarta, will soon be closed. The shop, first opened in 1995, has simply run out of business. Mid-August saw them start selling tens of thousands of items in their collection with a massive discount. A few months before that, in February, Aquarius Surabaya, after operating for 7 years, went bankrupt and Aquarius Dago, which used to be one of the coolest hangout spots for kids who lived in Bandung, was shut down in December 2009 after 19 years of guts and glory. Disc Tarra, another national record retail chain, consisting of 78 stores to be precise, is apparently in a similar situation and although they haven't closed any of their stores yet, some in significant cities like Jakarta, Surabaya, and Denpasar, have been resized, some down to 50% smaller. This phenomenon, most people believe, is caused by the digital trend. MP3s and iPods took over the world. They are more popular than cassettes or cds and walkmans or tape recorders, and piracy is exacerbating the problem. Even the gigantic-size record stores like Virgin have lost the add-on "Megastore" in their title, switching now to become Virgin Store only. HMV, idem ditto, they get tinier. Not to mention Tower Records, once considered a major influential music institution in their heyday, called it a day in 2006. With the many DVD and CD shops that line many of Indonesia's streets, the Indonesian government must come up with a strategy to put a stop to piracy and illegal copies. If they fail to do this, the countdown to music armageddon will continue...

…Sweet & Innocent? …Loud & Dirty!

This article---album reviews about Carla Bruni's Quelqu'un M'a Dit, Mad Sin's ...Sweet & Innocent? ...Loud & Dirty!, and The Tossers' Shadow of the Valley of the Death---were actually published in The Beat (Bali) mag way back in 2006. But I'm pretty sure they're still worth checking out. Oh, this version is the non-edited version, quite different version than what was published on The Beat mag. This, hell yeah, more in-your-face. More broken English...

Domestic Groove: SANDHY SONDORO

DOMESTIC GROOVE ~ Celeb's Chosen Seven is my biweekly column in The Beat (Jakarta) mag. Basically it's an interview via e-mail which focuses on small, intimate, domestic stuff; what Indonesia's public figures are really into, musically speaking. For the third edition I went upclose-and-personal with Sandhy Sondoro.

Tonite! Braggadocio Manifesto!

Tonite! Wednesday, 2010; 8-10 PMBraggadocio Manifesto: Fight for Your Right to Party & Party for Your Right to FightSouth Bronx to South Central. East Coast meets West Coast. Brooklyn, Compton, till East Orange a.k.a. Illtown. Planet Rock via Kraftwerk. Malcolm X in full-effect. Farrakhan, Universal Zulu Nation, forever phat rezpect. Smith and Wesson, M16, snitchin', dissin', hustlin', gangsta-rappin'. B-boys, fly girls, here's amateur, simple and short---but hot---Hip Hop chronicles... » Radio streaming live http://111.68.113.198:9850/listen.pls

About

About

rudolfdethu

About

Newsletter

Contact